Guide Entry to 91.03.02:

This is the story of Prince Hall, an organizer of Negro Masonry in the United States. He was also an abolitionist and spokesman in regard to all of the conditions which made the circumstances of Negroes intolerable and non-productive; in order to be equal citizens of the United States with all of the privileges entitled to any human being.

Prince Hall was born approximately 253 years ago. Some historians believe that he was born in the British West Indies, but this is not certain. He was a slave to a person named William Hall in Boston. Hall gave Prince Hall his manumission papers (papers saying that a person was no longer a slave, but a FREE MAN). Prince Hall taught himself to read, write and do arithmetic. This was an extraordinary accomplishment when one realizes that there were no schools for Negroes. Also, in many areas of the United States at that time, it was considered a crime to teach a man, woman or child of color to read or write. The unit includes a timeline connecting the events of Prince Hallís life to the events which were shaping the United States; from this students will get a clear picture of the many difficulties that Prince Hall and other Black people had to hurdle.